Meet Me Halfway
by EzriaFitzB26
Summary: "Lovers. Soulmates. A match made in heaven. Aria and Ezra are everything that you imagine love to be like. But one night changes everything for them that is detrimental to their fate." A story about patience and love that will prick the strings of your heart. First FF. Please Read and Review. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1: Part One

**CHAPTER 1:  
****PART ON****E.**

**So, this is my first fanfic. I've written few before but they weren't great so I put them up but took them down a while later because I was never motivated enough to make them work. This idea has been sitting in my head for a long time and I finally tired to put it down on paper.  
**

** All parts in italics are flashbacks. **

**Just a heads up: This story is full of drama and romance. I'm a complete sucker for the two. I hope you all like it and I hope there aren't too many errors. I'm still learning.**

**All forms of criticism will be taken sportingly as long as they are not hurtful in any way.**

I'll update soon on the basis of the number of reviews I get  
Enjoy!  
**  
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Pretty Little Liars or any of its characters. This is purely a work of fiction that is not intended to harm anyone in any way.  
**

* * *

**Present Day,  
****New York City.**

It was one of those nights that Aria had been looking forward to for a long time.

The tiny brunette was brimming with excitement and nervousness at the same time as she frantically paced around the apartment, in nothing but an oversized men's shirt, trying to get everything in place on time.

She had been organizing this night for the past two weeks. Everything had to be perfect. Everything had to turn out the way it did in her mind.

She ran towards the cupboard under the bookshelf and withdrew a few vanilla scented candles.  
_His_ favourites.

She walked towards the dining table and placed them right in the centre next to the wine glasses and the beautiful crockery that she had set out on the table along with a bouquet of flowers that she had purchased from the flower shop right down the street for this occasion.

She looked up towards the wall clock over her bed to see the time.

"Crap! Is that the time?" she said in a slightly hushed voice even though there was no one there in the apartment who would listen to her.

It was 6:30 pm already and she had to get everything done before 7. She wasn't even dressed yet. She had to be quick on her feet and get herself ready first to leave some time for final touches.

She folded the table napkins in neat triangles and placed them next to the shining white plates. She looked at the dining table one last time, trying to decide if it had anything more to be fixed.

Satisfied with the appearance of the table arrangement, she spun around and sped up the stairs towards her bedroom. Everything else could wait. She had to get ready now or all of this would have been for nothing.

She opened the door to the room and raced towards her closet and opened it. She bent down to search for the bag she needed.

She opened one of the drawers and began rummaging through it and retrieved a pair of black stockings that she needed for her attire and a few other articles of clothing she had bought for this day. In the process of her search for the bag, she found a picture stacked away right at the back of the closet.

It was a picture of them. Of her and her husband.

They looked so happy as they stood there on the beach with their arms around each other and their eyes fixed upon each others. The sun shone brightly and made their skin glisten. His blue eyes looked into her hazel ones. The wind made her hair blow away from her face. Her tiny arms held him in his place while his fingers were tangled in her hair. They were looking at each other as if there was no one else in the world but them.

Nothing had changed since then. The only difference was that they were Aria and Ezra on that sunny day at the beach in France. But they were Mr. and Mrs. Fitz now.

It had been two years since that picture had been taken and one year since they had exchanged their vows. They were a match made in heaven. Everyone idolized their love for each other.

_They were soulmates._

Since the day Aria had met Ezra, she knew that what they had was unlike anything else she had ever experienced.  
He was _the one _for her_.  
_He was her safe place to land. He was the only one who could brighten up her days. He made her feel like the most important person in the world. It seemed to her that their love for each other grew every day, even if it was possible to love each other that much.

The first time she saw him, she knew that she wanted to be with him forever.

* * *

**Two years back,  
New York City.**

_Aria rushed into the Starbucks outlet on that pleasant Wednesday morning. She had never been this late for work. She was the type of person who was always on time or even before time. All that reputation was about to go down into the drain.  
She was so not looking forward to go to work and answer a bunch of questions about why she, out of all people working at publishing company, was late._

_Damn Hanna for dragging her to the nightclub!  
_  
_She had to make a mental note to never give in to her friend's earnest requests to accompany her to the nightclub on a weekday again._  
_Aria took her phone from her purse and typed in a message to her boss informing her that she would be a bit late to work._ _One thing her boss hated was being informed about things. So Aria made it a point to text her just to be on the safe side.  
_  
_Aria bent her head down and put her phone back inside. She tried to close the zipper of her purse but it just wouldn't close.  
_  
_"Great! This just gets better and better." Aria basically yelled out in the middle of the coffee shop making all heads turn her way. Realizing what she had done, she gave them an apologetic smile and whispered a sorry to them.  
_  
_She had just managed to embarrass herself in front of a crowd of people. This day was indeed going down in history for her._

_With a frustrated groan, she put the handles of her bag back onto her shoulder, mentally cursing the shopkeeper who said that there would no problem with the bag when she bought it just two weeks back at a sale in one of the malls._

_Aria turned around and joined the long queue. __Fifteen minutes later, her turn finally came. She was losing her patience with every passing minute._

_On a normal day, she would've skipped the coffee but she needed it today. That was the only thing that could get her through the atrocities of the day and also cure her headache which was basically a result of her poor judgement that made her get drunk on a night before work._

_She put her bag on the counter and looked towards the waiter to place her order._

"One iced soy latte with two splendas and a butter croissant to go please." She said with a forced smile on her face.  


_She dug into her purse once again to pay for her order. She knew exactly how much it would cost and handed the money over even before the cashier could tell her the total cost. It was her usual order. Her best friends, Spencer and Hanna, often forced her to try something apart from that but she always stuck to what she liked and she wouldn't try something else no matter how much they forced her to.  
_

_Within a few minutes, Aria's order was ready. She adjusted her now broken bag onto her shoulder so that it wouldn't fall and picked up the coffee in one hand, holding the croissant in the other._

_She turned around and proceeded to move towards the exit._

Once again, she began to move quickly on her feet. She just had to get to work now. 

_Aria began sipping her coffee and biting into her croissant alternately. She hurriedly stepped out of the coffee shop but little did she know that another obstacle was walking towards her. _

_The moment she stepped out of the shop, she managed to make her day ten times worse as she bumped into someone coming into the shop. She didn't notice him for she was sipping her coffee. This only resulted into her bumping into the much taller guy and spilling all of her coffee on her very expensive top, and her croissant flying out of her hand and landing on the floor. _

"_Oh my god! Not again!" Aria yelled louder this time emitting a loud groan that clearly depicted just about how done she was with this whole morning.  
She didn't even bother looking up and apologizing to the person she bumped into. Her attention was diverted towards her now spoiled clothes._

_"I'm so sorry! I really didn't mean to-" the man began to say as he moved a few steps towards her with his hands held up in front of his chest, with the intention of helping the distraught woman before him, only to be cut off mid-sentence by her._

_"Save it! Please! I've had enough of today. Now I can't even go to work like this! This has to be the worst day ever. Thank you for contributing to my amazing day!" Aria snapped back at the man as she continued to wipe the very large stain right in the centre of her blouse._

_"I- I really didn't mean to do that. I didn't see you coming and you were also walking really fast and it just happened. Can I please buy you another coffee? I'm so sorry about this. " He said in a very nervous tone hoping that she would calm down and let him make up to her for the accident._

_Aria gave up struggling with the stain on her blouse as she heard him say those words._  
_It hit her that it wasn't even his mistake and he was apologizing for something that she did. She realized how mean it was of her to snap back at him and take out all of her frustration on a complete stranger._

_She lifted her head up for the first time to look at the man standing before her._

_"Look, it was actually my mistake and I –" Aria stopped mid-sentence, stunned at the appearance of the man she knocked into._

_His looks were breathtaking. He had most beautiful blue eyes Aria had ever seen. His tall stature accentuated his perfect bone structure and perfectly sculpted body. His dark brown curls fell on his forehead and glistened in the little amount of sunlight that was falling on it._  
_His white formal shirt hug his body in all the right places and he had a brown satchel , like those most teachers used, that hung over his right shoulder._

_She had never seen any man as perfect as him. Sure, she had dated some pretty hot guys in high school and in college but none of them could even match up to this strangers appearance.  
_  
_She stood there , lost in her own world, with her gaze fixed upon his face._

_Suddenly, the honking of the cars on the street snapped her out of her world and brought her back to reality._ _She realized how inappropriate it was of her to be staring a complete stranger for that long._

_"Umm. Sorry about that. It was actually my mistake. I am having a really bad day and I completely took out my frustration on you. I really didn't mean to be rude. I'm so sorry. Let me, in fact, buy you a coffee. Please " Aria said , fumbling in places._

_That moment, she forgot all about work. Maybe it was okay to miss work for a day, wasn't it?_  
_She was already 45 minutes late. How much of a difference would it make now?_

_"Oh it's okay. I didn't mind at all. And please, you do not have to buy me a coffee. I made your fall. Look? " He said as he pointed towards the huge light brown stain on her blouse._

_Aria noticed he had a particular kind of boyish charm that stood out to her. And she could also make out that this charm wasn't the fake Casanova-charm. It was natural. Something that was completely different about him._

_"Oh. I'll probably just head home and change it. It's not a problem. I'm skipping work anyway. " Aria said as she bit her lip after the completion of her sentence._

_Realizing she should at least tell him her name she brought one hand out in front of her for him to shake._

_"I'm Aria by the way." She said with a huge smile on her face._

_"Oh. I'm Ezra. Totally forgot to tell you my name. " He said as he shook her hand lightly and let out a small chuckle._

_Aria hesitated a little before she spoke again._

_"Would you like to go out tonight so we can make up for thi__s and buy each other a drink to compensate for this mess? " Aria said as she pushed a lock of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear._

_She really hoped he would not turn her down. She never expected her to be so attracted to anyone , within just 5 minutes of meeting them especially in a situation like this. Being turned down by him would definitely be a major downer for her._

_"Sure. Why not? But only on one condition." He said with a slight smirk on his face._

_"What is it?" Aria asked, full of nervousness about what reply she was going to get from him._

_"I am going pay for the drinks. Not you. Only then can we go out tonight." Ezra said narrowing his eyes in a funny way at her._

_Aria let out a chuckle__ before replying back to him._

_"Okay. I guess I could bear with that." Aria said, somewhat relieved at his reply._

_"We could go to this place not very far from here. Give me your number so I can text you the address. " Ezra said whilst taking his phone out from his pocket to type her number down._

_"Sure." Aria said, as a huge happy grin broke out on her face._

_They exchanged numbers before Ezra left, saying that he had to be somewhere.  
_  
_As he turned around and started walking, Aria continue to watch him walk down the block and turn left around the corner. She watched him until he was out of sight._

_As cheesy as it sounded, she knew there was something between them. __Or rather the hope of something happening between them. __  
__  
She had seen several movie scenes or scenes like the same in many books where the couple meet in each other in a bizarre situation that turns out into them falling for each other in almost no time. But what she couldn't believe was that this was actually happening to her._

_It was about time she got back out there._

_ Her last boyfriend had cheated on her and left her completely heartbroken and alone to deal with her own misery. It took her a long time to completely get over him. Since her breakup, her friends often tried to convince her to see other people. Everyone wasn't like him. There were better people. But Aria believed that's he just wasn't ready._

_It had been over five months since that happened, and after five long months, today, she actually felt ready. She actually had a feeling that this could be good for her. That this could actually turn out into something that would probably last._

* * *

**So that was part one of chapter one for you. I haven't much time for going through the entire thing. I'm the laziest person on this planet so please forgive my errors or at least tell me about them in case you spot one.**

** The flashback will continue into the next chapter. ****I know the last bit was cheesy but that is how I had it in mind. There is much more in store for their first "date". ****  
****  
****I basically have the entire story planned out and you guys are in for many surprises but all suggestions are welcome.**

** I will update over the weekend but that also depends upon the number of reviews I get. Remember! More number of reviews= Faster updates.  
****So PLEASE don't forget to review. It hardly takes two minutes.**

Thank you.  



	2. Chapter 1: Part Two

**I know I'm a bit late in updating but I've been busy a bit lately. This chapter isn't up to the mark but I just had to get something up before my exams start. So here's Part two of Chapter One for you. Once again, the texts in italics are flashbacks.**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own PLL or any of its characters because if I did, Wesley would be rotting in hell and Ezria would be married right now.**

* * *

**Chapter One, Part Two :**

Present Day, New York.

Aria safely put the picture back in its place and resumed her search for the bag. She rummaged through a few other things until she finally found it. She took it out and walked back to her bed and emptied all of its contents out.

It was actually a surprise for Ezra for the night. Aria had purchased a beautiful red lacy lingerie set from Victoria's Secret. This suggestion was actually Hanna's. According to her, Ezra would "waste no time in jumping her bones" once he saw her in it. Being the tease that Aria was, she spent no time in going and buying it with Hanna that very moment.

Aria took the lingerie set out of the bag and held it up in the air with her hands to look at it. She walked in front of the full-length mirror and looked at her tiny image. She started unbuttoning Ezra's shirt and slipped out of it. She put on the lingerie set and took moment to glance at the image of the woman standing before her.

She looked so happy. Her face glowed. One glance at her, and you could make out that she didn't have much to worry about. That's what Ezra did to her. He kept her happy and treated her like a princess. Every wish of hers was his command. He never even let her lift so much as a finger when she was tired. He was the ideal boyfriend before and an ideal husband now. How did she get so lucky?

Aria turned around and picked up the new dress she had bought for this occasion. It was a backless red dress that accentuated her curves very well and made her look tinier than she already was. Her main reason for buying it was actually guided by the fact that Ezra loved the colour red. All of this was only to please him and give back only a little of what she could in return for all that he always did for her.

Aria made her way towards the dressing table and sat down on the stool. She began applying a little bit of make-up and when her eyes landed upon the pictured frame that sat on her table. It was a picture of them from the night Ezra took her out on their very first date. That night was truly one of the best nights of her life.

* * *

**Two years back, New York**

_Aria walked into the restaurant-cum-bar on that same night she bumped into the most attractive stranger she'd ever seen. This place was so crowded for a Wednesday night.  
"They're all going to be regretting getting drunk the next morning." Aria thought to herself._

_She looked around the place to spot the familiar face. She scanned the room carefully until her eyes found him. Anyone could see those gorgeous curls from a distance. They stood out amongst everyone in the room. She felt this inappropriate need to run her fingers through them and coil them in her tiny hands. But thinking these things on a first date with a complete stranger whom she happened to_

_**bump** into that very morning wasn't how she was willing to get through the night._

_Shedding those thoughts, she fixed her plum strapless dress and ran her fingers through her hair before adjusting her purse and walking in his direction._

_Her heart started beating faster as she walked closer. She failed to understand why on earth she was being so nervous about this. It was just a date._

_"It's just a date. Just one date." Aria kept on telling herself in her mind._

_She reached the table where he was sitting with his back faced towards her. She lightly tapped his shoulder, causing him to turn around and stand up, as a sign of common courtesy, almost instantly._

_"Oh hi! You look beautiful. " Ezra said gesturing towards the seat in front of him._

_"Hey. Thank you. "Aria said, sitting down. A slight blush crept up and lent a pinkish colour to her cheeks in response to his remark._

_"Did you have any trouble in finding the place?" Ezra asked whilst running his hand through his hair._

_His fingers running through those light brown curls distracted Aria for a moment. Boy if he was going to do this all night, she would have a hard time keeping herself in check. Realizing she had been staring too long she scolded herself inwardly and diverted her attention back to his question._

_"Oh not at all. It's so close to my apartment. How have I never been here before? " Aria said letting out a slight chuckle._

_"Now you know of it." Ezra said as a slight smirk played upon his thin pink lips._  
_Aria stared at his lips admiring that smirk and thanking God for sending such a beautiful man to this planet._

_"So Ezra, tell me about yourself. What do you do? " Aria asked, preventing any awkwardness or silence from dawning upon them._

_"I'm actually a writer. I was an English professor until last year but then I decided to take time off and write. It's something I've always wanted to do. Almost like a passion. " Ezra said, looking towards her._  
_"What about you? " he asked._

_"Well, I'm a sucker for English too! I work at a publishing firm at the moment. I just graduated from college but I hope to work for a magazine and become an editor. I also like writing a lot but so far it's mostly personal. Just for me. " Aria said giving the slightest shrug making her look more adorable than she already was._

_"That's great. If you write for yourself then it's your passion. Don't ever stop doing it. I'd really like to read something. Would you let me?" Ezra asked, anticipating her answer._

_"Yeah. Why not? Would you really like to? I mean I don't know what you'll think of it since you're a writer and all but I would love some advice from you." Aria said with a twinkle in her eyes and wonder in her voice._

_"Sure I would. Hold on. Let's get you something to drink." Ezra said as he got up from his seat and walked towards the bar to get a drink for Aria and himself. Aria's gaze followed him wherever he went. She was immensely drawn towards this guy. She had knows for like a second and already found herself intrigued by his charm. Also, that smile of his killed her. It made her insides melt. Where had he been all this while?_

* * *

_A good meal and a few drinks later, Aria and Ezra realized just about how much they had in common. They liked the same music artists, the same kind of books and authors as well as poets. Hell, even their favourite book was the same. Both of them had an undying love for To Kill a Mockingbird._

_It was like the two had been carved out for each other. Aria felt like she could talk to him for hours and hours and never run out of topics to talk about. This was something she rarely found with a person._

_As for Ezra, Aria had stepped into his life just at the exact moment. He had been looking for a perfect someone for quite some time now and Aria could be 'it'. She was the most breathtakingly beautiful woman he had laid his eyes upon. Every time, those hazel eyes met his blue ones, he felt a wave of something rush through his body unlike something he had ever experienced before._

_Aria was determined to pursue this and follow her heart. It was what felt most right to her. This man seemed like he had no flaw. He was a total gentleman and also the most humble and genuine yet witty person you could ever come across._

_Her only complaint was that his smile was too distracting. But it was a good kind of complaint. One that made her like him even more._

_Every time that night, that they looked directly into each others' eyes or even touched each other slightly, they felt a spark tingle up their spines, making its way to their brains and exploding like fireworks on the Fourth of July in there._

_Aria and Ezra seemed to talk to each other on and on that night. It was only when it was nearing eleven that Aria found herself getting up from her seat and picking up her purse. But instead of biding him farewell for the night, she decided to act on her impulse and she held his hand and basically pulled him along behind her into the ladies' wash room. The alcohol was obviously getting to her but she knew that she wouldn't be regretting this for sure._

_Ezra obediently gave into her impulse and let her drag him to the wash room. Once they were in there, they took no time in getting at it._

_Ezra hoisted the petite woman onto the bathroom counter, making sure that she didn't fall into the sink for that was how tiny she was. The moment Aria sat on the counter, she immediately brought her tiny hands up to cup his face in them. Her lips attacked his almost instantly and just like that, they felt complete._

_Ezra leaned completely into the kiss and kissed her back with every ounce of passion he could provide it with. He brought one of his hands up and caressed her back gently while also running his fingers through her soft brown locks that fell below her shoulders and rested on her back. His other hand held Aria's leg in position by holding her thigh close to his body to give her balance. Aria ran her hands all over his back and came up to rub the tiny hair at the nape of his neck every now and then. Her fingers coiled through those curls of his she was fantasizing about not more than fifteen minutes ago._

_That kiss was unlike something she had ever experienced before. Even Noah and Ally, her all time favourite couple from the famous book and movie 'The Notebook', would have to fight hard to compete with this kiss._

_Ezra had the softest lips ever and he was also the best kisser she had ever come across._  
_Aria indulged into the kiss and arched her back as Ezra dug his nails into her thigh. She tilted her head backwards, granting him complete access to her neck. Ezra planted soft kisses all the way from her earlobe till he reached her collarbone._  
_It was one of the most erotic kisses ever. Every kiss that he planted made Aria feel more and more alive. He kissed her like his life depended on it and she kissed him back as if it was the last time she was every kissing anyone._

_They broke their kisses a number of times only to look into each others' eyes and sometimes laugh a little at their predicament. But they were both thoroughly enjoying it. Their bodies rubbed against each others' every now and then, only intensifying the feeling._

_After about what seemed like centuries later, they finally broke apart, feeling completely spent from just making out. Aria knew that no matter how much she wanted she wouldn't take the next step with him just yet. She wanted to know if this was for real before she completely gave herself to him. Her previous errors had taught her to always wait till the right moment no matter how soon or late it came. If the person was right, the moment was bound to come and then it would all be worthwhile._

_Aria rested her forehead against Ezra's whilst her finger were playing with the back of his collar. Ezra was meanwhile running his hands through her hair and basically just looking at her in utter amusement and fascination._

_"Ezra, I'm sorry but it's quite late. I better get going. I'm so not going to miss work tomorrow." Aria said, hating herself for interrupting this very perfect moment of this very perfect night._

_"Um, yeah sure. Let me drop you back home. " Ezra said as he moved his forehead away from hers feeling a tad bit disappointed that she had to leave but not even showing a hint of it on his face._

_He helped her get down from the counter and picked her purse up and handed it to her._

_"Thank you. Let's go." Aria said to Ezra taking her bag from him and standing on her toes to give him one last long lingering kiss to finish what they started in the wash room._

_They made their way towards the exit door with walking right beside Ezra. Before walking out, Aria stopped in her tracks._

_"Hold on. " She said taking Ezra by surprise._

_She did something totally unexpected and laced her fingers around his, holding onto his hand extremely tightly almost as if she didn't want to let it go. Ezra gave a smile and a peck on her lips indicating how happy the gesture made him feel._

_"That's better. Now we can go." Aria said as she resumed walking towards his car. But this time, she held onto him indicating the start of something new._

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed it. As you can see, I took some parts from the pilot episode. Please forgive any unintentional errors. I detest reading what I have already written over and over again.  
Drama kicks in around Chapter 5, I'm not too sure though. But you guys may not be expecting it.  
Please review! It takes only a minute and share the link on Twitter or whatever so I can get more readers. It only motivates me to write more for you guys.  
Also, keep reviewing AND sending in any suggestions or tips.  
Until next time. :)**


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